Improvement in sliding seats for row-boats



UNITED STATES JOHN BLAKEY, CF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

I IMPROVEMENT IN SLIDING SEATS FOR ROW-BOATS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,913., dated April 2l, 1874; applic-ation filed April 3, 1874.

. fication:

My improvement relates to the invention shown and described in the patent of Walter Brown, dated September 20, A1870; and consists in contrivances for lesscning friction and keeping the clothes of the rower free from oil.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan of a sliding seat constructed with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Fig. 1.

A is the seat, which should be shaped to it the person of the rower. It is mounted on standards ct a, which are placed in long boxes B B, firmly secured to the floor or ribs of the boat. In the boxes B B are ways b b, which consist'of glass tubes or rods; and in each of the standards a a are let in pieces of babbittmetal c o, in contact with the glass, as shown. This combination. of glass and babbitt-metal is an essential part of my invention, for, as the seat slides backward and forward7 the fric tion between the glass and the babbitt-metal is remarkablyT little. Moreover, neither the glass nor the babbitt-metal is injured by the action of water, with which they are liable to come in contact. The boxes B B have ledges d d, which prevent the seat from jumping from the ways; and this manner of constructing the boxes and 'ways saves the rowers clothes from being spoiled by the oil used to grease the ways. In each of the standards ma is an oil-cup, constructed andoperated as follows:

A recess or cavity, m, is made in the standard,

to hold oil poured in through the tube n, which is closed with a stopper. In the bottoln of the recess is an outlet, with a valve worked by a spring and a bent rod, o, as shown. When the seat A is brought forward s0 ,that the bent rod 0 strikes the front end of the box B, the valve is op'ened, the opening in the valve-slide passing across the outlet in the valve-seat. There is a recess in the standard, into which the bent rod is driven, that the valve may not remain open while the rodis pressed against the forward end of thc box by the position of the seat A, when the lrower is ready for the start in a boat-race. Vhen the seat is moved back by the motion of rowing, the spring drives the valve-slide to its original position. The valve is thus opened twice at every stroke. The seat and boxes are furnished with rubber springs s s, to lessen the shock and store up power, as shown.

I make no claim for a sliding seat in a rowboat, that having been patented to Walter Brown, as aforesaid 5 but I do claiml. The combination of the glass rods b and vbabbitt-metal supports c c, to lessen the friction 0f a sliding seat in a r0w-boat, and to prevent the corrosion of the working parts, substantially as described.

2. The combination of an oilcup with a sliding seat and ways in a row boat, substantially as described.

JOHN BLAKEY.

Witnesses WILLIAM W. SWAN, PAYsoN E. TUCKER. 

